LAUREN MORTON-FARMER
Staff Writer
A police deputy is in critical condition after he was injured in pursuit of a man suspected of the armed robbery of Wells Fargo in Malibu last week.
Motorcycle Deputy James Mulay was struck by the suspect’s car while he participated in a police chase near the 20000 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
The incident occurred on Aug. 28th at 11 a.m., when the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department received a report that an armed robbery was in progress at the Malibu Wells Fargo Bank branch located at Cross Creek Plaza.
Deputies were dispatched immediately to the scene where Charles Terreal Washington, 47, allegedly entered the bank masked and with a gun was attempting to hold up the bank. He soon fled the scene beginning a chase down Pacific Coast Highway with an undisclosed sum of cash.
The deputies, among them Mulay, followed in close pursuit. At about 11:20 a.m., Washington drove his getaway car, a blue Honda, into Mulay’s motorcycle which hurled into a truck parked along Pacific Coast Highway. The injured deputy was then airlifted to UCLA Medical Center where he remains in “critical but stable condition,” according to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department.
Washington was arrested the next day and charged Thursday, Aug. 31sr with the attempted murder of Mulay as well as assault on a police officer, evading an officer causing injury and nine counts of second degree robbery. He is also charged with using his car as a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.
This will be yet another strike for Washington who already has two robbery convictions to his name as well as being a suspect in other recent California robberies. Bail was set at $2.5 million and a hearing is scheduled for Oct 4.
Representatives for Wells Fargo declined to comment on the incident stating that once a criminal investigation has begun it is not wise to do anything that might disrupt the case.
The focus is now on the recovery of deputy Mulay who has been a member of the force for 17 years. The husband and father of two has been hospitalized since the accident with a crushed spine, broken back and pelvis and numerous broken ribs.
“[Mulay is] continuing to hold his own but nothing much has changed,” said Lieutenant Debra Glafkides of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department, following Mulay’s surgery on Thursday. “It is going to be a very long and steep road for him and his family.”
Glafkides emphasized the severity of Mulay’s injuries.
“His recuperation process is going to be huge,” she said. “He’s certainly not out of the woods yet. He basically broke his body.”
Still, the hope and prayer supporting Mulay is already proving to be immense. On Friday, Sept. 8 the Malibu/Lost Hills Station is hosting a fundraiser and blood drive for their injured colleague in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. The event will be held at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 27050 Agoura Rd. in Agoura from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition to this, a Sheriff’s Relief Fund has been set up to aid the Mulay family in this time of need. Interested parties can contact the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at (818) 878-1808.
09-07-2006